


Emma and Her Pet Tiger

by Nayanna_Rivergron



Series: The Adventures of Emma and Snowflake TigerLily [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 17:12:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7853884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nayanna_Rivergron/pseuds/Nayanna_Rivergron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma loses her pet tiger Snowflake Tigerlily</p>
            </blockquote>





	Emma and Her Pet Tiger

**Author's Note:**

  * For [soulofsilence](https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulofsilence/gifts).



> This is a prompt for SoulOfSilence, who wanted a story with Emma and Snowflake Tigerlily (long story behind that). I needed a break from the brain overload and this was to help my brain. It's angst and fluff and focuses mainly on Emma's relationship with her pet tiger.
> 
> Not beta'd any grammatical errors are my own. I wrote this in like 30 mins lol. I made some corrections.

Snowflake Tigerlily was lost; she didn’t know which way to go. She ran because she was afraid that Regina was going to send her away. Snowflake overheard Regina saying that she was tired of the constant shedding of the fur in the house. Emma defended her, but Regina was not relenting, so she decided to run. Snowflake was lost in the woods and didn’t know what to do she was never a woods type tiger. Her white fur and black stripes made her stand out among the trees she hoped that no one would mistake her for a beast. The sky had turned dark, and Snowflake was hungry and afraid. She found a place to take comfort in until the morning light or when Emma decides to look for her. Snowflake climbed in the little cave unaware that she would not be able to get out in the morning. Snowflake tried not to think about being hungry and curled up and fell asleep.

Emma had looked all over the place for Snowflake; she knew that the tiger had overheard her argument with Regina, but she wanted to reassure her that Regina would not send her away. Snowflake Tigerlily had been with Emma since she was three, her first family had given the tiger to her, and they let her keep it as she was taken back to the group home. Snowflake had been with her through every foster home and even followed her in jail. The tiger was her best friend, her secret keeper and an excellent source of comfort. Snowflake was just as important as her baby blanket because they both had meaning and told of where she came from. When Emma came to Storybrooke after being brought here by Henry, she had Snowflake with her.

Then the curse broke and magic came back to Storybrooke, Snowflake became a full fledged tiger, this delighted Emma to no end. She always imagined that the tiger would come to life and protect her from harm. No one understood the bond she had with the animal, but as time went on, her parents and Regina realized the significance of the tiger. When Regina had asked her to move in, Emma made one request, that Snowflake could live in the house with them. She wouldn’t know how to survive in the wild because she had been trapped as a stuffed animal and was domesticated. Emma thought the other woman would say no, but she relented and said the tiger could live with them.

Snowflake was an excellent addition to the family she protected the house and Regina. The tiger never used the bathroom in the house, she always went outside, and she wasn’t a messy eater. Snowflake was a giant cat, and even though Regina pretended to hate the tiger, Emma knew otherwise, especially when she would scratch the tiger behind the ears as she read a book. Emma finally gave up and returned to the house on Mifflin. She walked into the house defeated and was immediately met by Regina.

“Did you find her?” Regina asked, apparently concerned, not for the tiger but for her girlfriend.

Emma frowned, “No, I don’t know where she ran off to. I looked everywhere, and I couldn’t find her. I don’t know if she is still in Storybrooke or if she made it past the town line.” She answered dejectedly.

Regina could see the sadness and distress in Emma’s posture and on her face. She felt guilty for fussing about the tiger. She didn’t mean to yell about the shedding because the tiger didn’t shed that much. Regina was angry at the shit day she had and took it out on the tiger because she had been clinging to her since she had come home. Regina stepped forward to try and hug her girlfriend but was slighted when she backed away.

“I’m sorry, Emma. Maybe you can find her tomorrow when it’s light outside. I don’t think she made it past the town line.” Regina tried to reassure her.

Emma wasn’t happy, “She’s never been alone. What if she is hurt? What if she was captured? She’s out there alone, and no one is there to protect her.” She cried.

Regina was at a loss she had never seen Emma this distraught before, “Why don’t you go upstairs and get comfortable in bed and I will bring you some cocoa.” She suggested.

Emma perked up a little bit, “With cinnamon?”

Regina gave a small smile, “Like I would forget. Now go, I will be up in a minute.”

Emma took the stairs two by two until she reached their bedroom. She stripped down to her tank top and underwear before depositing the rest of the clothes in the hamper. Regina got on her a few times about leaving her clothes on the floor. Emma climbed into bed and true to her word a few moments later, Regina entered the room with a mug full of cocoa with whipped cream and cinnamon.

“Thank you, Regina. You’re the best.” Emma took the mug of cocoa and gave Regina an enigmatic smile.

Regina kissed the top of her head, “Anything for you, my love. Hopefully, this will help you relax and try to keep your mind off of Snowflake.”

Emma took a sip of her cocoa and watched as her girlfriend slip into bed beside her. She was still a little upset with Regina, but she still loved her with all her heart. Emma finished her cocoa as Regina finished reading her book, _La Reina del Sur_.

“What made you decide to give her the name Snowflake Tigerlily?” Regina asked breaking the silence.

Emma placed the mug on her night table, “I honestly don’t know. Her fur reminded me of snow, and then tiger lily was added thanks to one of my foster sisters. She was five, and I was ten, she was an awesome little cinnamon roll. So the name stuck.” Emma explained feeling nostalgic.

Regina slid closer to Emma and cuddled her close, “What a sweet gesture. Have you talked to her? Your foster sister?”

“No, I lost track of her after I went to jail. I hope she grew up and had a great life.” Emma replied.

Regina wanted to ask more questions, but she knew not to ask Emma questions about her past when she is feeling extremely vulnerable, especially, if Snowflake was not around. Emma would get defensive and then sad when asked about her past, but that damned tiger always made her feel better. Regina had to admit that she was a little jealous of the tiger although, she was protective and loyal to her, she loved Emma more. Regina knew it was silly to be jealous of a tiger, but sometimes she felt that the tiger got more of Emma’s affection than she did. Regina felt heavy all of a sudden and realized that Emma had fallen asleep. She maneuvered them so that they were lying down and used her magic to turn off the lights.

_****_

Emma had fallen asleep and immediately began dreaming. She was walking in the woods, and she could hear a soft cry and whimper in the woods. Emma followed the sound until she reached a clearing and there was Snowflake trapped in a cave. She ran towards the cave but the more she ran, the longer it took her to get to her pet. Emma ran and ran but when she got to the cave Snowflake was severely hurt and bleeding from somewhere. Emma ran to the tiger and threw her arms around her and cried into her fur. She gave her words of assurance and told her how much she loved her. When Emma lifted her head up to find out if her pet was okay, she realized that her tiger had died. She let out a wail of grief, similar to what Tom Hanks did when he lost Wilson.

“SNOWFLAKE, NOOOOO!!!” Emma screamed as she bolted upright.

Regina woke up immediately to check on her girlfriend, “Emma? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” She asked clearly panicked.

Emma ran her fingers through her hair panting heavily, “I…I had a dream about Snowflake. She was trapped in a cave and was injured. Sh…sh…she died! I have to find her. What if she is hurt?”

Regina was at a loss at what to do, she had never seen Emma so distraught before, except for that one time, when Pan had kidnapped Henry. She wanted to help her girlfriend but didn’t know how until she thought about using the locator potion to find the tiger. She hugged her girlfriend close.

“She is fine, and she is not dead. You will find her; we will find her. I have an idea. Why don’t we use the locator potion to find her? Maybe that will lead us to where she is.”

Emma sat up and smiled enigmatically, “Of course! Why the hell didn’t I think of that?”

Regina smirked, “Because you’re an idiot, but you are my idiot. Go bring me something of Snowflakes.”

Emma didn’t have to be told twice and ran out the room straight to Snowflakes room and grabbed her blanket. Instead of running back she poofed back into the bedroom and handed Regina the blanket. Regina conjured up the potion and poured it over the blanket. The blanket began to glow and eventually led them out the house. Emma snapped her fingers, and she was dressed and out the door leaving Regina to try and catch up. She followed the blanket to the deep woods she was out of breath, but she didn’t care. The blanket came to a stop in front of a small cave, and Emma finally stopped running trying to catch her breath.

“Snowflake?” She called into the cave.

Snowflake growled and tried to make her way out of the cave, but she couldn’t move anymore because she was stuck. The tiger started growling and snarling in frustration because she couldn’t get free. Emma could sense her distress and knew she needed to find a way to get her pet out of the cave.

“Hold on Snowflake; I will try to get you out of there.” She held up her hands and blasted the cave wide open obliterating it.

When she saw that Snowflake was in full view, she ran over to the tiger and looked her over making sure that the tiger was not bleeding or was injured. She was satisfied when there was no damage. Emma hugged the tiger for dear life and began weeping in its fur. She was relieved that her tiger was alive.

Regina poofed to where her girlfriend and the tiger was and sighed in relief as both the tiger and Emma were okay. She made her way over to the two but made sure she kept her distance when she heard the tiger growl lowly. Regina knew that the tiger must have been sore with her, she knew she owed the tiger an apology.

“You found her. Is she okay?” Regina asked approaching cautiously.

Emma kept petting Snowflake as she growled lowly, “She is fine. She was trapped in the cave, but she is alive and unharmed.”

“I guess I owe her an apology.”

Emma looked at her girlfriend, “Yes, you do. Her feelings are hurt.”

Regina rolled her eyes, how could a tiger be hurt, it’s not like it had feelings? She was an animal, not a human being but she sucked it up because well, it’s what a good girlfriend does.

“I’m sorry Snowflake, I didn’t mean to yell. I was having a bad day, that didn’t mean, that I should have taken it out on you. I don’t mind your fur you don’t even shed that much. I hope you can forgive me.” Regina tried her best.

Snowflake growled lowly, and Emma let her go. Snowflake approached Regina slowly and gave her hand a lick. This was the tiger’s way of saying she forgives her. Regina rubbed behind her ears and gave her a small kiss on the head. If she was honest, she missed the tiger too.

“Alright, it’s cold, and I’m wet. Let’s go home.” Emma spoke up finally having enough of the woods.

“Alright, let’s go. I am sure Snowflake is cold and probably hungry.”

Snowflake grumbled at the mention of food. Snowflake was very hungry she could eat a whole cow, but hopefully, it would be a nice slab of steak.

“She would like a nice big steak, rare, if possible.” Emma requested.

Regina rolled her eyes, “Yes, your royal, tigress.”

Emma snapped her fingers, and they disappeared in a plume of grey smoke. They materialized in the kitchen where Snowflake was eating her steak and Regina drinking some tea. Emma stood outside of the kitchen door finally happy that her tiger was back home.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> The end! Hope you liked this little piece of fluff and it made you smile.
> 
> Until next time, my lovelies~xoxo~ Nayanna Rivergron ;-)


End file.
